Algeria troops kill three armed Islamists west of capital

ALGIERS - Algerian troops killed three armed Islamists and recovered weapons and ammunition west of Algiers on Wednesday, the defence ministry said.

The three were killed at around 1:00 am (0200 GMT) in an ambush close to the town of Hamman Righa, around 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the capital, said a statement on the ministry website.

The operation seized three automatic rifles, ammunition and several hand grenades, as well as binoculars and mobile phones, it added.

Violence involving Islamists in Algeria has fallen considerably since the civil war of the 1990s, but groups linked to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb still carry out some attacks, mostly on security forces.